BETWEEN THE LINES

Hawaiian? Or lyin'?

Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators News Service.. He is the author or co-author of 13 books, including his latest, "The Tea Party Manifesto," and his classic, "Taking America Back," now in its third edition and 14th printing. Farah is the former editor of the legendary Sacramento Union and other major-market dailies.

More than five months ago now, around Obama’s alleged Aug. 4 birthday, I stepped out publicly and offered a $10,000 charitable gift to the hospital found on his long-form birth certificate. All he or the hospital or the state of Hawaii would have to do to claim the prize is show the American public the document that should have been produced long ago to claim the presidency as a natural born citizen.

As I said back then, “We’ve tried the stick. Today, as Barack Obama celebrates what he claims to be his birthday, I want to try the carrot approach. Obama has said he was born in Kapi’olani Hospital in Honolulu. He participated in a fundraiser for the medical center in January. WND will send a check to whatever birth hospital is listed on his long-form birth certificate. All Obama has to do to see that donation made is to release it publicly.”

Today I will amend that challenge.

Since politicians in Hawaii are so interested in honoring Obama, why not use their influence on him to produce the proof that will lead to a cash contribution – no strings attached – to a worthy charity. In fact, I’ll make it $15,000!

Obviously, Obama is not going to produce the birth certificate just to satisfy an overlooked, obscure constitutional requirement. But I thought, given his compassionate concern about health care and charity, that he might be persuaded to end this national mystery with a significant cash pledge to the hospital in which he entered the world.

At the same time, think of how such a benevolent action would have the added benefit of trumping all those anti-Obama “birthers” out there.

Think about it. Obama claims to have been born in Honolulu Aug. 4, 1961. His entire constitutional claim to the presidency rests on this premise. Yet, he refuses to release a copy of his long-form birth certificate – the only document that could possibly corroborate his claim. Instead, he has released to select news organizations and posted on the Internet a document that could never serve as proof he was born in the United States – a so-called “certification of live birth,” a digital document that could, can and has been obtained by people who were actually born outside the country. The American people can never be certain their president is legitimate constitutionally without proof.

Wouldn’t it be a midterm election year coup for Obama to release it finally?

I’m sure the hospital would love to get a quick $15,000. It could even be used to construct a monument making it the most famous hospital on the island. Kapi’olani has publicly used Obama to raise money in the past – claiming it was the birthplace. It only backed off when it was asked by my news agency to confirm on the record that it was indeed so. All references to the statement by Obama and the fundraiser were then stripped from its website.